


Recognition for Good Deeds

by kibasniper



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Bonding, Caretaking, F/F, Fluff, Hospitalization, Injury Recovery, Self-Esteem Issues, Tenderness, Tumblr Prompt, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-02-22 22:36:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kibasniper/pseuds/kibasniper
Summary: Asuka visits Rei in the hospital after an Angel battle and tries to gloat.
Relationships: Ayanami Rei/Souryuu Asuka Langley
Comments: 6
Kudos: 56





	Recognition for Good Deeds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FreezingKaiju](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreezingKaiju/gifts).



> written for freezing-kaiju on tumblr who asked for "are you warm enough?" from a question prompt list.

The hospital room was as sterile as Asuka expected. There were white walls, white linens, and too white pillows. The splash of blue on the checkerboard tiled floor was a relief as she stepped inside. She surveyed the nearby counter and focused on the serrated edges of leftover scalpels. Her reflection shone in them, distorting her cheekbones as higher than they really were, and she quickly looked at the rest of the supplies. From bottles of hydrogen peroxide to cotton swabs, she committed the sights to memory for no reason other than she simply could.

Breathing in, she smelled the faintest hint of alcohol and phenol in the room. Her brain buzzed as if she had ingested the chemicals, and she swallowed thickly. The lukewarm taste scalded her tongue, muscle memory damning her, but she forced her mouth into a smirk as she faced the lone figure in the cot. If it was not for the other girl sitting before her, then she would have gladly ignored any opportunity to even tiptoe into a hospital.

“Well, wonder girl, some fight you put up today,” Asuka said, her heels clicking as she approached.

Rei’s hands were positioned over the thin cloth the staff dared to call a blanket. She tilted her head, her short blue hair caressing her cheeks. She blinked as if not processing Asuka’s comment, and Asuka stepped closer, kicking a stool from near the counter where the doctor would have sat to her bed. When Asuka made herself comfortable, crossing her legs and arms, her grin bold, Rei merely waited for Asuka to continue.

Clicking her tongue, Asuka slapped her hand to her knee and dug her other finger to her temple. “What, were you knocked around so hard that you lost your memory?”

The comment seemed to bring Rei out of her stupor. The bandages, which were wrapped around her head and crusted with dried blood, quivered as she rolled her shoulders back. “No, that isn’t the case. I was thinking about what you meant by that,” she said, her tone controlled and soft.

Asuka threaded her fingers through her choppy locks of hair. “Heh! I bet you were.” She leaned closer, her chin jutting forward. “Needless to say if I wasn’t there to gut that Angel in half, you’d be as flat as a pancake by now.”

“That’s true,” Rei said, nodding. “Thank you for intervening.”

Her smile swapped for a frown. Rei’s gratitude came out too quickly for her liking. She had wanted to rub it in a little more, but the words she desired to say were trapped in her throat. 

She inspected Rei’s expression, finding that her disposition matched her words. Her neutral expression, however, was a stark contrast to her injuries. Her thin lips spread in a demure line seemed unconventional compared to the rustic, smudged colors smattered to the bandages on her cheeks and brow. Rei’s bright red eyes seemed illuminated by the mere presence of the violet bruises shaped like butterflies on her face, and with her hair the color of the sky, Asuka felt like she was looking at a picturesque day instead of a young woman.

A spot behind her ear itched. She nibbled on the inside of her mouth. Frustration pooled in the pit of her belly as heat colored her cheeks. She had hoped for something more, but what it was that she wanted confused her. 

A conversation would have been nice. Sentences longer than ten words from Rei would have been more appreciative. She knew that wonder girl was quiet and reposed like a porcelain doll on a shelf even when she was brought out to play by the commander. But when they were alone, Asuka had thought she would have said more. Without scrutinizing gazes or comments from superiors or classmates, Asuka presumed another side of Rei would have shown, something she had expected when a half-laugh slipped past her own lips which should have startled Rei.

“Your face is looking a little blue,” she said, reaching forward and taking a lock of Rei’s hair. She clipped it behind her ear and let her pinky finger trail against her cheek. Her eyes widened as she withdrew, her mouth creasing downwards, her sudden shift in expression sparking a subtle change in Rei’s neutrality.

“Is something wrong?” Rei asked, her eyebrows raising.

Asuka shot to her feet, the stool clattering behind her. It did not fall, but it wobbled until Asuka stomped her heel on the bouncy seat. “Hey, are you warm enough?” she demanded, her brow wrinkling as she put her hands on her hips. She thrust her head forward, sternly observing how Rei blinked and pulled back, her shoulders tensing.

“Am I warm enough?” she repeated to herself.

Without waiting for an answer, Asuka stormed over to the only window. She grunted and shoved it up, a cool blast of wind ruffling her school uniform as it flooded the room. It cleansed the sterile scents, replacing them with citrus and exhaust fumes, naturally perfect perfumes.

Looking over her shoulder, she flashed a grin at Rei. One corner of her mouth raised higher than the other. Pivoting on her heels as Rei straightened her back, she asked, “Better, right? Looks like I saved you from heatstroke, huh?”

She waited for an answer, her patience limited. Her grin quivered as Rei stared, the muscles in her arms twitching. Observing Rei lifting her head, she focused on her chest, the slow rise and fall confirming she was breathing in the same air which filled her lungs and purified the toxins from within their bodies.

“This is much better,” Rei finally said, a hint of a smile on her face. “The air was stale, so this is preferable. Thank you again, Asuka.”

Asuka supposed her response suited her needs. While her sentences lacked the length she desired, her earnesty was pure. Relaxing her smirk, Asuka eased back over to her as if the breeze propelled her towards Rei, and when she sat on her bed, she tapped her pinky finger to her cheek again, approving the coolness across her smooth skin.


End file.
